May 14th 2025, Week 3
Principal's Message
Wednesday 14th May
Kia ora koutou
Welcome to Toby who has started in Ruru iti this week, we hope you have enjoyed your first few days at school.
Our mihi whakatau will take place this Friday from 9-10am to welcome a number of new children and families to Northland School. You are all welcome to attend as tangata whenua and to enjoy the whole school being together. New families please meet in the Library at 9:00 and our students will guide you through our protocols.
We are delighted to let you know we have appointed Anna Lewis, currently a teacher at Bowen Early Childhood Centre, to teach in Ruru iti as our numbers grow. Anna will join us at the start of term 3 for the remainder of the year. We see this as a great opportunity to strengthen partnership between early childhood education and school.
I would like to acknowledge and celebrate all our support staff who have many roles in our school. We are very fortunate to have Ann, Hayley in the office, Tony our Caretaker, Erwin our Librarian and Teacher Aides; Jo, Kate, Erwin, Lin, and Daniel. We appreciate all that you do at Northland.
On Monday night we had our whānau hui in the Library. This was well attended by both children and parents. It was lovely to hear our students share about the pūrakau, kapa haka, and the importance of our rōpu whanaungatanga.
Rōpu provides opportunities for our youngest and eldest children learning together and getting to know one another. Our year 8 students prepare the activities and lead these sessions. Together we shared ideas for Matariki, how we can continue to strengthen success for our Māori children and all work together. Thank you all for coming and to Grant for leading the hui.
It was great to see so many of you attend the first School Cross Country at Northland Park yesterday. Thank you to those of you who helped with marshalling. What a successful event. Everyone was able to see the start and the end of every race and the pace that some individuals set. Our children do very well encouraging one another during school wide events, and in particular our year 8 students running with the youngest children is always a delight to see. A huge thank you to Neil and Alex for the organisation and smooth running of this, alongside a number of students who helped to set up the track and collect equipment afterwards.
We have shared The Northland CHAMP expectations with you and we hope you have had discussions with your child about the values and our ‘ways of being’ at Northland.
Positive behaviour for learning is focusing on the teaching of prosocial behaviours, adapting the environment, stating what expected behaviour looks like, sounds like and feels like and acknowledging the desired behaviours. We know there are no quick fixes, and behaviour change takes time.
We have worked with staff and students to develop our ways to respond when unexpected behaviours or incidents occur. The draft document was shared with the Board and a sample group of whānau whose children are part of the PB4L Kids committee. We have made changes based on feedback to ensure this is a clear and transparent document.
In our classrooms we continue to focus on explicit teaching of writing, reading and maths. Our teachers are using some of the new resources, alongside existing strategies that we know work to help children retain new learning and practice. We appreciate there are varying messages regarding teaching and learning in the media.
We would like to invite parents to a Curriculum Evening on 3rd June from 7- 8:00 pm. We will outline the key aspects of the New Zealand Curriculum in English and Maths and how we are teaching at Northland. During the evening we will update you on the phases in the curriculum and how these are guiding the information you will receive in your child’s report at the end of this term.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child, please follow our process:
- Classroom Teacher as the first point of contact.
- Team Leader/ Deputy Principal if unresolved.
- Principal (if further support is needed). This will ensure the right people can address things efficiently.
Ngā mihi
Andrea
NEW - School Cross Country
These students placed in the top 3 for their year group. The children from year 4-8 who will be going to represent Northland at the Western Zone Cross Country will be named next week and parents will be notified. The date for this event is Tuesday May 27th June.
NEW - Spaceward Bound
We are excited to have Spaceward Bound NZ come to Northland on Monday. They will provide hands-on activities, bring a portable planetarium and have experts in astronomy/ astrophysics. This opportunity links well to our inquiries this term and we have been able to provide through some of the funds raised during the Colour Run.
NEW - Pink Shirt Day - May 23rd
Next Friday, we’re recognising Pink Shirt Day—a day to stand together against bullying and support those who’ve been affected. We encourage students to wear pink and bring a gold coin donation to support The Mental Health Foundation. Let’s show that kindness and respect matter.
Save the Date
Curriculum Update Evening - Tuesday June 3rd 7- 8:00pm in the Library.
Wellington Astronomical Society - Viewing the Night Sky - Thursday 5th June time tbc
Matariki Celebration - Tuesday 17th June 5:15- 7:15 pm
NEW - Red Bin is back!
The red bin is back! It will be parked at the Tiger Turf entrance to school from Thursday May 15 - Thursday May 22. We will be collecting good condition clothing suitable for cooler weather, including winter jackets. Size 5 and up please, no preschool or baby clothes needed, but larger sizes are welcome.
The red bin is available one week each term and items collected are donated to our partner school in the Wellington area. If you have any questions or have a large donation, feel free to call or text Deborah on 021709467. Thank you for your support.
UPDATE - Colour Fun Run Prizes being handed out tomorrow!
Hi everyone,
Colour Fun Run prizes are here and will be handed out tomorrow! Parents will be helping distribute these to children during the afternoon. If your child ordered multiple or larger prizes, please send them with a bag to carry them home.
Electronic prizes haven't arrived yet—we'll let you know as soon as they do.
Thanks!
School Lunch Options
Subway - Every Monday - order online through www.lunchonline.co.nz
Sushi - Every Tuesday - order online through www.ezlunch.co.nz
Pizza - Once a month - available the 1st Friday of each month, $6 per pizza order forms available on the school website or in the school office.
Apps available for Subway and Sushi through the school website.
Term Dates
The bell rings at 8:50 am. Any student arriving after this time will need to sign in at the office and will be marked late. We encourage students to arrive by 8:30 am to meet with friends and get ready for the day. Lessons will begin at 9am.
Before School Care available from 7:30 am -8:30 am in the Library. Please email the office for further details, office@northland.school.nz
Term 2 - 28th April - Thursday 26th June - last day of term
- Kings Birthday - Monday 2nd June
- Matariki Holiday - Friday 20th June
- Teacher Only Day - Friday 27th June - (Mathematics curriculum)
Term 3 - 14th July - 19th September
- Teacher Only Day - Friday 22nd August (Mathematics curriculum)
Term 4 - 6th October - 17th December
- Labour Day - Monday 27th October
CAMP DATES
- Year 5 / 6 Camp - Term 4 Forest Lakes 29th October - 31st October 2025